I have left it late to write my October column. But after a draw and three wins in a row from the beginning of the month I thought I could wait until the Everton game and then happily write about four weeks without defeat, and about climbing up the table and finding ourselves in the top ten at last. But after a disapponting 0-2 at Everton last weekend, instead of being in tenth spot, the Hammers have to content themselves with ten points from ten games.
It still was a fine October for West Ham though, not only proceeding to the last eight of the League Cup with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at the London Stadium, but making this stadium more and more feel like home with a great night like the one with the League Cup game under the lights! But it wouldn’t be West Ham if there hadn’t been another problem with misbehaving of some mugs in the stands. And like back in spring when West Ham famously beat Manchester United in their last match at the Boleyn, we could not just revel in a great result on the pitch, but were confronted by friends and work mates with reports of crowd troubles that had made the headlines even here in Austria. “Fresh hooligan riots in West Ham’s new stadium”, reported Austrian ORF.at website. But to be fair the article not only mentioned bottles, coins and ripped-off seats that had been thrown between rival supporters, but also cited Sean Whetstone who explained what had happened from the perspective of a West Ham supporter.
Also Austrian independent football magazine “Ballesterer” has already brought a report on West Ham’s move from Upton Park to the Olympic Stadium – highlighting, of course, fightings and problems with permanent standing. Though it seems that the club is slowly coming to grips with the problems at the London Stadium, there are still safety issues to be addressed, and we will have to get on with newspapers and websites that find a lot of stuff at West Ham to make “shocking news” out of it. And even more intensified media coverage of all problems at West Ham is guaranteed as it has just emerged that the costs of the stadium conversion have soared again and the London Mayor has jumped on the bandwagon ordering an inquiry into the conversion costs of the stadium.
I still have not got an impression of what it’s like to be in the stands of our so-called “stunning new home” as I have not been to London since June. But it won’t be long till I am able to grace the terraces of the London Stadium: I hope to make it to a game in December when we come over to London a week before Christmas. The ticket ballot for the December games is going to open on Monday, 7 November. Keeping fingers crossed that my son and I will be successful and gain the precious right to buy two tickets in this lottery - and then will be eye witnesses of a victory over the Tigers just one week before Christmas. That’s not all I want for Christmas, but it would be something special of course …
Some weeks before this event there will be something else to celebrate West Ham-wise. On Saturday, 19 November, Austrian supporters club Austrian Irons is going to host its 5th anniversary at the “Tube Station”, a pub run by Essex born West Ham supporter Barry in Vienna’s third district ( click here ). I hope to be able to join these festivities as I have already got theatre tickets for that evening. But an early pint or two should be possible.
A propos pints with fellow supporters: I’ve always liked to have some glasses at Hammers Social Club in Castle Street after being to a game at the Boleyn Ground. Therefore I was quite happy to read that an independent West Ham United Supporters Association has been launched and is holding its first meetings at the Social Club. Having been a member of the initial West Ham Supporters Advisory Board I am very much in favour of an independent supporters association and hope it will have a good start at its meeting on 5 November. I am not able to be at the meeting in Castle Street on Saturday but I am wishing them a lot of success and I am looking forward to the launch of their website. I promise to join the association immediately by then.
Come on you Irons!